Those old fossils in Kusagakure really needed to go!

Kusagakure and Amegakure were both small-to-medium shinobi villages. Why should Kusagakure become Amegakure's vassal?

The other leaders of Kusagakure shook their heads as well.

They had agreed to come because Uzumaki Shixia was powerful and willing to talk.

If negotiations truly fell through, Kusagakure might still be able to kill Uzumaki Shixia, albeit at a terrible cost!

"Kusagakure will never become anyone's vassal!"

"Kusagakure will not execute its own shinobi!"

"Kusagakure welcomes sincere negotiations, not threats!"

"We, the leaders of Kusagakure, are prepared to take you down with us!"

Seeing this, Uzumaki Shixia could not be bothered to waste any more words on Kusagakure's leaders.

He simply raised his hand, pointed toward the woods nearby, and asked, "See that clearing?"

The leaders of Kusagakure exchanged bewildered looks.

That was clearly a forest. Why was Uzumaki Shixia calling it a clearing?

As everyone looked over, terrifying Lightning Release Chakra began surging through Uzumaki Shixia's body.

"60 Million Volts: Thunder Dragon!"

As Uzumaki Shixia spoke, countless streaks of azure lightning instantly gathered before him.

"ROAR-"

A terrifying dragon's roar rang out as the vast mass of lightning energy transformed into an enormous Thunder Dragon.

"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"

The Thunder Dragon charged toward the forest ahead with utterly terrifying force.

Sand and stones flew in its wake, and countless trees exploded into showers of splinters and charcoal.

With unstoppable force, the Thunder Dragon turned the dense forest into a clearing crisscrossed with ravines!

At the sight, Kusagakure's leaders finally fell into line!

Even the legendary tailed beasts could hardly be more powerful than that.

The Kusagakure leaders who had been shouting defiance just moments earlier all changed their tune.

"That said, Kusagakure has indeed made certain mistakes in the past."

"Those responsible for harming Karin and her mother must be severely punished to uphold justice in Kusagakure!"

"Survival is difficult for Kusagakure. We should learn from Amegakure how to strengthen ourselves! Only under Amegakure's leadership can Kusagakure develop amid the struggles of the Five Great Nations!"

"We, the leaders of Kusagakure, fully agree to Lord Uzumaki Shixia's demands!"

Facing a Humanoid Tailed Beast like Uzumaki Shixia, how could Kusagakure's leaders dare oppose him?

Even the extremely powerful Mui said nothing.

Of course, quite a few of Kusagakure's leaders merely paid lip service to him.

What they said now was only a stopgap measure.

Uzumaki Shixia was far too powerful. First, they would placate him.

Then they would devise a plan to deal with this formidable shinobi!

Before long, the people responsible for Karin's mother's death were brought outside Karin's little house.

"On your knees!"

Hatta Shinichi roared, a Ninja Blade in hand.

Before Uzumaki Shixia, he had been meek and submissive, nearly getting killed in a single exchange.

Against these little bastards, however, he could strike without restraint.

He was lucky, too: he had never had any dealings with Karin's family.

Aside from this incident, he had hardly ever been injured on his previous missions.

"SHICK! SHICK!"

As Hatta Shinichi repeatedly raised and brought down his blade, heads fell to the ground one after another.

These shinobi had exploited Karin's mother's healing ability without restraint, draining her life away and causing her to die young.

Now that they had died here, Karin's mother had been avenged.

Watching from inside the room, Karin felt only the relief of finally seeing her mother's death avenged.

Her gaze toward Uzumaki Shixia grew even more grateful.

In her heart, she swore that she would make herself useful someday.

Without Uzumaki Shixia, she probably would have met the same fate as her mother, wouldn't she?

Now that she had collected the belongings her mother had left behind, she decided to follow Uzumaki Shixia from then on.

After avenging Karin's mother, Uzumaki Shixia glanced at Kakuzu, then addressed Kusagakure's village leader.

"This is Lord Kakuzu, who once fought Hashirama Senju, the God of Shinobi."

"Kusagakure's leaders can discuss the matter of becoming Amegakure's vassal with Lord Kakuzu."

Kakuzu's face twitched at Uzumaki Shixia's words.

He was never going to let that go, was he?

Hearing this, Chenye was filled with respect!

So this shinobi who had been watching from the sidelines with his arms folded was an even bigger heavyweight!

"Lord Kakuzu, please!"

"Let us head to Kusagakure's conference room to discuss the arrangements."

Kakuzu did not refuse and went to Kusagakure's conference room with its leaders.

Mui volunteered to stay behind. Uzumaki Shixia had said earlier that he wanted to discuss a business deal with him.

He was rather curious about what sort of deal Uzumaki Shixia wanted to discuss.

Once everyone else had left, Sixia walked over to Mui and spoke casually.

"Mui, you want to capture a tailed beast, don't you?"

Mui's previously calm expression changed abruptly at those words.

Fire chakra even flickered in his hands.

He did indeed want to do that, but it was his secret. How had Uzumaki Shixia found out?

Before Mui could make another move, Uzumaki Shixia spoke.

"Kusagakure has plenty of stubborn old fossils."

"In fact, most of Kusagakure's leaders only pretend to submit to me."

"I don't have the time to bring them to heel one by one."

"I can work with you. I'll help you capture a tailed beast, and I'll only charge you a friendly rate."

"In return, you need to bring all of Kusagakure's leaders under your control."

"You saw my strength earlier."

"As for capturing the tailed beast you need, it would be somewhat difficult for me, but by no means impossible."

With Uzumaki Shixia's current abilities, capturing a tailed beast would not actually be difficult.

But he could not say that.

As the saying went, one side named an outrageous price, and the other bargained it down.

If he made it sound too easy, how could he charge a high price?

Besides, whatever else one might say about capturing a tailed beast, it ought to earn him a long-term commission mission!

Those were the legendary tailed beasts, the "nuclear weapons of the shinobi world."

Uzumaki Shixia's words plunged Mui into thought.

He felt both shocked and excited, with a measure of anxiety and wariness mixed in!

He did not understand how Uzumaki Shixia knew he needed to capture a tailed beast.

But there was no doubt that Uzumaki Shixia should be capable of doing it.

Still, was he really going to help Uzumaki Shixia deal with Kusagakure's leaders?

Mui studied Uzumaki Shixia intently, his thoughts racing.

The Lightning Release Ninjutsu he used earlier definitely had the destructive power of a tailed beast.

Hiring him to capture a tailed beast would undoubtedly be an excellent choice!

Then he remembered how those stubborn old elders had forbidden him from approaching the Box of Ultimate Bliss.

Those old fossils in Kusagakure really needed to go!

With them in charge, Kusagakure would only become a complete mess. It had no future whatsoever!

Having reached that conclusion, Mui looked at Uzumaki Shixia and said, "What do I need to do?"

A satisfied smile appeared on Uzumaki Shixia's face.

"All you need to do is this."

Kusagakure's leaders never imagined that they would get no sleep at all that night.

"BANG-"

Uzumaki Shixia kicked open the door to Chenye's room.

By the time he reached the Kusagakure leader's bedside, Chenye had already disappeared.

Chenye had used the Body Flicker Technique to get outside the window.

He was deeply alarmed. He had thought they had managed to placate Uzumaki Shixia, never expecting him to continue attacking them during the night.

Only after reaching the rooftop did Chenye feel a little relieved.

What he had not expected was that Uzumaki Shixia and Mui were already waiting for him there.

The one who had appeared in his room was merely Uzumaki Shixia's Wood Clone.

Seeing Uzumaki Shixia and Mui, Chenye was both shocked and furious.

"What are you trying to do?"

"Mui, are you trying to destroy Kusagakure?"

Chenye had no chance to say anything more.

Uzumaki Shixia raised a finger, and a burst of lightning instantly struck Chenye, leaving him completely unable to move.

Without waiting for instructions from Uzumaki Shixia, Mui instantly closed in on Chenye.

"Fire Release: Heavenly Prison!"

He struck Chenye with a palm blazing red.

"HUM-"

Two intersecting black sealing marks instantly spread across Chenye's body.

His chakra was now completely sealed, unable to be gathered.

From then on, whether he lived or died would depend entirely on Mui's whim.

Sealing Chenye was, of course, only the beginning.

Next, every leader of Kusagakure would receive the same treatment.

"WHOOSH-"

A figure raced across a rooftop in Kusagakure.

He wore a reddish-brown cloak and a horse-shaped zodiac hood, black with yellow markings.

He was none other than Elder Ghost Horse, one of Kusagakure's leaders.

Not long before, he had received a message from Elder Ghost Ox through an emergency communication channel.

The message said that Mui, in whom Kusagakure had placed such high hopes, had betrayed the village.

At that very moment, Mui was helping the invader, Uzumaki Shixia, bring Kusagakure's leaders under his control.

"Damn it!"

I need to escape the village and seek refuge in Konoha!

Elder Ghost Horse pushed his running speed to the limit.

Even so, he was not confident that he could escape the village.

His fears proved entirely justified as two figures used the Body Flicker Technique to block Elder Ghost Horse's path.

Seeing the two before him, Elder Ghost Horse trembled with rage.

"Uzumaki Shixia, we already agreed to become Amegakure's vassal! Why are you attacking us?"

"And you, Mui! You shameless traitor! You're actually helping an outsider control the village's leaders!"

Uzumaki Shixia had no intention of wasting words on Elder Ghost Horse. He simply raised a finger and pointed. Lightning Finger!

"BZZZT!"

An azure arc of electricity instantly struck Elder Ghost Horse.

In an instant, countless serpents of lightning danced across Elder Ghost Horse's body.

With such an enormous gap in their strength, Elder Ghost Horse had no chance of dodging Uzumaki Shixia's attack.

The arcs of electricity flickering and coursing over him numbed his entire body, leaving him completely unable to move.

"Fire Release: Heavenly Prison!"